FlowerDust.net

At least for a little while. Be back soon.

Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. - Henri Nouwen

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The Hubs says I look drunk in this video. I’m not. I promise.

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Anyway, so there you have it. A little surgery for this little heart problem. August 14.

I’d appreciate the prayers, and any other reposting of this video to get your readers praying too.

Much love.

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This weekend, I have the privilege of speaking at Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, GA. I have admired Michael and what the people at OLC are doing in their community for the last couple years. I’ll be speaking about God’s plan for poverty and the people of Oak Leaf will have a chance to sponsor children through Compassion after each service. (Service times are Saturday at 6 pm, Sunday at 9 and 11 am).

A few prayer requests:

• Please pray for me…I have spoken multiple times on multiple days before, but not like this. I’m excited, but think it has got to feel really weird to say the same thing three times! I just want to show up and let God do His best through me.
• Please pray for the people at OLC…that they will see and understand God’s heart for the poor, their role in his plan for poverty, and that they will take whatever the next step is on their faith journey…whether it is believing for the first time, or deciding to take a big leap of faith and do something crazy!!

Your turn. How can we pray for you this weekend?

It had been a really long day.

6 am came too soon, and as usual, I was running late to the airport. Due to the extra few minutes I spent taming my hair, I was unable to stop by Sonic for my habitual Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper.

The tragedy.

The flight from Nashville to Houston was one of the bumpiest I’ve ever been on. And I fly. A lot. Several people on our plane threw up and one even passed out on our descent.

Evidently, April is Monsoon season for the state of Texas.

Once in the terminal, I checked my next flight on the screens.

My 12 pm flight to Dallas was delayed until 1 pm.

Then 2 pm.

Then 3:15 pm.

4:15 pm.

Canceled.

Fortunately my phone alerted me a good fifteen minutes before they announced it so I was able to get in line early and snag a seat on the next flight out.

5 pm.

6 pm.

6:45 pm.

7 pm.

7:30 pm.

Finally.

I have never been happier to be en route somewhere.

Dallas wasn’t my final destination though. After spilling Diet Coke on a very conspicuous area of my lap, landing, collecting my soaking wet luggage, and getting my rental car, I drove to Coppell to meet my mom and brother for a quick bite to eat before driving to Wichita Falls. Normally a two hour drive isn’t anything to fret over.

But I was tired.

Frazzled.

Decaffeinated.

Grumpy.

And my hair, which I so purposefully wasted time on, had succumbed to the humidity and easily doubled tripled in size.

At least I was in Texas.

I fit right in.

Shortly after midnight, I pulled into my hotel and knowing I would be sleeping in the same clothes I was wearing (as my PJs were drenched from the Monsoon), I rang the buzzer to the front desk.

A middle aged woman with few teeth and a bit of a scowl checked me into my room. Honestly, she kind of creeped me out just a bit. Enough that for once, safely inside my room, I actually locked all the locks on my door.

I looked in the mirror at my road-wearied face. My Diet Coke stained jeans. I looked like I had aged ten years in what was really just a ten hour journey.

The walls are a little thin at the hotel, and outside my room I can hear the scowly lady talking to someone. Immediately my heart sunk as I realized what a jerk I had been to judge this woman. I think it would be safe to assume a middle aged woman who looks like she’s lived a lot of life probably didn’t plan on making $6 an hour working the midnight shift at a small town, Texas inn. And in my hurried, cranky, spoiled interaction with her, I didn’t view her through the eyes of love.

Leaning into the mirror more to look into my eyes I prayed, “God. Help me see people the way you see them. Help me see people through the eyes of love.”

It’s so easy for me to judge. To compare, contrast, and separate the worth of humanity within my own mind, and by my own eyes. As if somehow I have the right to do that.  Yet I do it.

All the time.

I wonder what people look like through the eyes of love. I can’t say I’ve ever really set every agenda aside and simply narrowed my focus to see them the way Jesus would have seen them.

Beautiful.

Worthwhile.

Broken.

Child like.

Lovely.

And so it’s my hope this week that I can open my heart a little bit.

Open my mind.

And this week, may we all be challenged to look through the eyes of love.

i’ve decided that from christmas eve through january 5th, this blog will be quiet. no auto-scheduled-out posting. no posting out my favorite posts of 2008,

nothing. nada.

after a trip to the midwest to visit family for christmas, i am going into a self-induced almost isolation in a land far, far away and will not be bringing my computer with me at all. no twitter. no email.

nothing. nada.

but i would like for you to leave me a comment today with how i can pray for you or for someone you know while i am away. i’ll print off a list on sunday afternoon before my retreat and take it with me.

so comment below, please repost this on your own blogs so others can chime in, and come back to see how you can pray for everyone.

and that’s what it’s all about.

from my friends at the international justice mission:

“Please pray for our team in South Asia as they execute an operation on a large brothel today. Pray for continued good cooperation with the police and safety for our staff as they enter an especially dangerous situation. Pray that the girls would be rescued quickly as they are currently suffering very violent treatment.”

read more. think twice today.

sponsor a child
donate some shoes

and pray.

today, the world has been heavy on my heart. as i pick up my soon-to-be spoiled bananas, throw away my grocery receipts, hang up my dry cleaning, and get ready to eat overpriced airport food…i am constantly reminded the world is broken, yet in its disparity, has potential for so much hope…

i had another post scheduled to go up today (which i will in turn put up next week)…but after i woke up this morning felt the need to open up the comments for your prayer requests…

how can we pray for you? don’t forget to come back and pray for those who have posted after you…

FlowerDusters,

We lost a blog reader today.

Chris’ grandpa, who was an active reader of this blog (which always made me smile) passed away this Sunday afternoon.

Please pray for his family, who has already gone through some tough times recently, and that he can find a way to financially make the trip to KC for the funeral.

Chris is selling his amp on Craigslist (Fender Hot Rod Deville 2×12 - USA version) as one way to help.  So if you need an amp in amazing condition or know someone who does, there you go.  It appears the amp has been sold.  Supposedly the guy will pick it up tomorrow. Let’s hope so.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

You guys are amazing! We had 118 books donated to the GO Ministries Pastors’ library. WOW! Thank you once again for being the church in practical ways and making a huge difference thousands of miles away!

Our team REALLY appreciates your prayers of support and encouragement along the way.

It was an amazing trip…and this week will be a crazy one of catching up on emails, blogs and comments. But I really can’t thank you enough.

I would be honored to spend some time praying for you this week and weekend…please let me know how in the comments.

this weekend, i am sharing my thoughts on blogging community at the lifechurch.tv internet campus. something i am talking about is how this community here on flowerdust.net has formed over the last few years and how we truly do cover each other in prayer, support, advice, and even discuss the questions of life. we even fight a little bit. all signs of healthy relationships!

so, with that…i think it’s time to have another post dedicated to how we can pray for each other. i will be checking in over the weekend and praying for you, and encourage you to come back and do the same for others.

i’ll start.

chris & i could really use your prayers about our finances. we have cut back so much, but like some of you shared, similarly, we have made poor decisions in our past that we are paying for now. there is also quite a bit of medical debt that we were able to defer but it is now staring at us in the face and is making a tight situation tighter. i could identify with much of what anonymous had to say earlier this week.

please pray that we are sensitive to areas we are able to cut back on so we can build more margin into that area of our life. and for god’s protection. we don’t have any room for emergencies!

wow, that was hard to share!!!

your turn…

ever since returning from africa, i’ve wondered something.

is it just me, or does THE CHURCH seem to have its funds distributed fairly unequally?

if we are all THE CHURCH (made up of individual, local churches)

and, if we are shown an example in acts 2:44-45:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

then why:

is there a hard working children’s pastor making $75/week and who gets his office furniture from the side of the road because his church can’t afford to buy him any?

are churches closing because they don’t have enough money to sustain ministry?

edit: and i won’t even go into listing things that are broken in churches around the globe and in impoverished countries.

when:

other churches are building multi-million dollar facilities…in the same town, on the same road, right across the street from each other?

…i could make this list longer, but i am sure you get the point.

like really.

why?

so this post is all about prayer.

i honestly don’t have a lot of creative writing power right now…so, instead of faking something, i’d rather we do something together as this blog community and pray.

a few weeks ago, you all listed your requests…today, i have one of my own.

i got a message from michael about some terrible violence in juarez, mexico. his church has partnered with that community and god has done great work through them. they actually had to cancel their mission trip due to the violence.

michael requests:
Pray for all the citizens of Juarez.
Pray for any tourists that maybe trying to get out safely.
Pray for the pastors of Juarez and their congregations.
Pray for the city, state and Mexican national government officials.
Pray for the police and military.
Pray for the hearts and minds of the criminals.

over 218 people have been killed since the new year, with over 30 being killed over easter weekend.

this article says,

“‘These types of events, which were isolated within the ranks of organized crime, are now seen by everyone, at any hour, in broad daylight, and worst of all, in 100 percent family places,’wrote Ciudad Juarez reporter Gamaliel Carrasco Arjon.”

could you imagine your weekly family trip to the local super target and having your spouse and kids witness someone getting killed right there on the side of the road?

please pray for this situation…

(children in juarez)

as craig said on swerve today, the staff at lifechurch.tv is resting, fasting and praying this good friday. i am really looking forward to having a day of focus like this.

it has been a while since i asked how i can pray for you guys, so please, allow me
to do so today. how can i pray for you this easter weekend?

someone who comments frequently here, emailed me this question and wanted to get your thoughts…what do you think?

If you prayed for somebody (financial situation, grief, job stress, and other life issues), but you DON’T tell them that you’ve been praying for them. Would that make a difference in that person’s life especially if he/she is not a Christian?

I’ve submitted a prayer request for her through my bible study group…..now, I may sound like I’m doubting God’s power now…but if I didn’t tell her that some people have been praying for her, would that prayer be less ‘effective’? OR Would God think “No…I don’t have plans for her.”

Your thoughts?

i found out today that one of my friends back in kansas died.

his name is bart. i met him when i was overseeing communication and media at westside family church. he wanted to serve on the creative team. he had a great portfolio, and a great spirit.

bart and i fell out of touch when i moved to texas. however, over the summer, he emailed me and shared what had been going on in his life.

we emailed a couple of more times, and life just got busy.

that’s always my excuse, anyway.

a few minutes ago, crystal emailed me and let me know he had passed away. i couldn’t believe it. i had never responded to his last email.

life just got busy…

today, i was hit in the face with a harsh reality. one we all know, one we all hear, all the time.

life is short.

i now realize, with a terrible feeling in my gut, that i let life get busy.

too busy for so many things that matter. really matter.

i have wasted so much time.

i must stop.

please pray for bart’s family. leesa is his wife. they have a son, grant.

prayer.

i want to know how can i pray for YOU this week? how can WE (this community of bloggers) pray for you? just knowing we are all interceding on each others’ behalf is really, really cool. so…

what’s going on in your world that we can pray about for you?

if you’ve been around a while, forgive my redundancy. i’ve been on a sleep/anxiety combo medicine since january and a “stress” medicine (did you know they made those?) as well. you can read about some my attempts at medication through some stressful transitions here.

a lot of people - christians in particular - have questions on whether or not medication for depression and/or anxiety is biblical. shouldn’t you just snap out of it? my personal experience with taking my doctor’s advice, and working with a therapist as well as discussing all of this with my husband led me to decide that going on medication temporarily as i worked hard core through some issues in counseling would probably be best. and i think it was. if i felt healthy enough, i would be off the medication in a year.

so because of the kind of medicine i am on, i have to gradually wean off. over the next eight weeks (beginning last night) i will be cutting back by eighths on one medicine, and thirds on the other.

how do i feel about it? i am so looking forward to what’s on the other side. my emotions have never felt more stable, my sleep is back to normal, and i’m not stressing out a ton. it may not seem like the best month to start this withdrawal, with all of the stress of current events, but i really think i am in a good place. with the support of my friends, family, husband, therapist, YOU GUYS and undoubtedly resting - really resting - in God’s promises of truth, justice, confession, and provision; i am not too worried about it.

my final week of medication is november 26. i’ll occasionally post updates of how i’m doing if i think about it, but i am really looking forward to taking this next step!

on a side note, this weekend in alabama went great. it was all a little bit of a blur to me but after speaking with several people after the message or getting emails from them over the last few days, i know God did a great work through everyone - the volunteers, the band, the teams that set up, dave, and even myself. i love seeing god move!

that’s about all from flowerdust land. i hope you all are having a great week!

i am almost 28. long gone are the days where staying up until 3 am, waking up at 7 am, and working productively were no big thing. last night i stayed up until almost 1. i could barely drag myself out of bed by 7:30…

but today will be good. i love fridays because i get a day’s head start for next week. so when i come in on monday, i’m not suddenly overwhelmed with the week ahead. tonight is date night. and tomorrow, i head out to decatur, alabama. i have to tie up a few loose ends on my message but i am really excited about getting to teach this sunday. it will also be my first time speaking in a movie theatre church so i think that whole experience will be awesome.

i covet your prayers. the messy-ness of this week’s news hasn’t really affected my focus for the weekend much. if anything, you have inspired me to keep on going, keep on trusting. this is totally in god’s hands and being distracted isn’t going to do me - or anyone - a lick of good.

anyway, on the getting old thing, that makes me curious - how old are you?
don’t be shy…

always do the right thing.

it seems obvious. but sometimes it is HARD. really, really hard.

so hard you can’t eat and you just want to throw up.

so hard it may take you a while to get there.

so hard your mind could be filled with what-if and consumed by fear.

so hard your life as you know might never be the same.

the old adage is true - the longer the agony, the deeper the pain.

don’t wait. do the right thing. do it as soon as you can.

and surround yourself with loving, caring people who will hold you up when you start to double over, who will encourage you, pray with you, pray for you, pray that people will bring you cookies to cheer you up, people who don’t mind when you cry, people who are brave enough to tell you to kick the negative thoughts far away, people who will travel thousands of miles to make things right, people who don’t laugh when all you order is mashed potatoes because you can’t think straight…

people who care. simply care.

[to those people, today, i say - thank you].

jordan, chris and i are somewhere in the collision of small town texas and the middle of nowhere. we just got done visiting with shaun groves and brody at one of shaun’s concerts.

if you follow his blog, you’ll know that his little boy has been really sick lately. tonight they were getting updates and trying to decide if and how to get back to nashville to be with him.

please say a prayer for shaun, his family, and his little boy. i’m typing this from my phone so i can’t really link over but his site is shlog.com. i am sure he could use the encouragement.

something he said tonight (which we all did) was that churches don’t just stop and pray for each other in the middle of it all…we all stopped and prayed with those around us. in colossians, paul writes that even though he hasn’t seen most of the letter’s recipients face to face, he is with them in spirit. even though most of you may not know shaun, we can all unite to pray with him through the same spirit.

if you’re reading this, you’ve been prayed for.

granted, i don’t know everyone who reads this blog by name. those of you i do, i’ve prayed for you. those of you i don’t, i’ve prayed for you, too.

every once in a while i have a really hard time sleeping so for the last hour or so, i really felt like i should lift you up in prayer.

some of you i know are going through really tough times - marriage stuff, health stuff, church staff stuff, upcoming mission trips, already on mission trips, family problems, depression problems, money problems, loneliness, work stress, transitions in life, your kids, your friends…those are just a few specific things that have been lifted up.

insomnia’s not always a bad thing i guess. i hope you all have a splendid tuesday.

Please pray for my mom today. She is having surgery at 9:15am Central Time. I’m a little worried since I can’t be there, but I spoke with her last night. Her name’s Beverly. Thanks!!

To read our January Prayer update on our missions trip to
Scotland, click here!

And to sign up to get these in the future, click here!

Thanks!